The “Big Trees” of California are the most magnificent specimens of tree
growth that have ever been found. In addition, they are the oldest known
living things; they connect the present with the past in a chain of
living rings in the tree that betray their great age to the modern
scientist. Estimates of the age of the “Big Trees” vary from the
Christian Era through a period dating back beyond the coming of the
Christian Saviour about 4,000 years.
The “Big Trees” of California are known as the “Sequoias,” and they are
divided into two different although closely related species. The few
enormous trees of great age which are now preserved in groves are known
as the _Sequoia Gigantia_. These big trees grow at an altitude between
4,000 and 7,000 feet, and, whether individual or in groves, they are
found in protected valleys, canyons, etc.
What is known as the Redwoods, or scientifically listed as _Sequoia
Sempervirens_, grow in heavy stands and really are a younger growth of
the “Big Trees.” The redwoods grow in the fog belt in the counties
bordering the coast from Monterey Bay north to the Oregon line. These
trees range in age from 500 to 2,000 years, and are generally supposed
by the scientists to be a reproduction growth that began their earthly
existence shortly after the glacial period. The _Sequoia Gigantia_
reproduce from cones, while the redwoods reproduce from suckers that
grow from the stump. The redwoods bear non-fertile cones. Both species
of the sequoias are evergreen.
These trees, including both species, range in height from 100 to 400
feet and in circumference from 15 to 90 feet. When full grown the “Big
Trees” are proportionate and symmetrical in girth and height and the
beauty of the tree is enhanced by flutings that traverse the bark from
the base to the apex. The root system is a remarkable feature of the
“Big Trees,” for they have a very poor footing for trees of their great
size and weight. The roots radiate a short distance below the surface of
the ground and there is no stabilizer in the shape of a tap root such as
in other woods. The bark ranges in thickness from four to thirty inches,
although in rare instances it has been found fifty inches thick. The
bark is light, soft and of a bright cinnamon color. The lumber from the
redwood tree is light, and ranges in color from medium to light cherry,
while the lumber from the “Big Trees,” or _Sequoia Gigantia_, has a
decided pink cast.
John Muir, the eminent California naturalist, evolved the theory from
the topographical position of the enormously big trees, which grow only
in the vicinity of Yosemite Park, that they escaped the glacial action
because they were located in protected places in the mountains.
Commercial redwood--and there are twenty-one mills cutting redwood--is
one of the most valuable woods on the Pacific coast. It carries with it
into lumber two traits of the tree itself--fire retardance and rot
resistance. These two qualities are the real secrets of the “Big Trees.”
There is no fungus growth on the redwoods neither are the redwoods
attacked by boring worms or other insects so common to other species of
wood.
Some of the giant redwood logs must be split in the woods with powder
before they can be handled on the saw carriage, and the average yield
per acre is in the neighborhood of 150,000 feet. At the present rate of
cutting, about 400,000,000 feet a year, there is more than one hundred
years’ supply of redwood still standing.
The redwoods thrive in moisture--it is taken into the roots, the foliage
and the bark. This accounts for the remarkable rot-resisting quality.
The railroads prefer redwood for ties because of its resistance to decay
in contact with moist soil. The Southern Pacific Company today has in
service in some of its sidings redwood ties that were put down under its
rails fifty-five years ago.
[Illustration: A LORDLY PILLAR IN ONE OF “GOD’S FIRST TEMPLES”
“Grizzly Giant,” a redwood in Mariposa Grove, California, one of the
most wonderful of all wonderful sights in the West
_Copyright by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y._]
Fire retardance is a remarkable feature of redwood. In the early days of
logging, when modern machinery was not available, the woodsmen were
confronted with the problem of moving tremendously heavy trees. About
sixty per cent of redwood is moisture, and what is known as the “butt
cut” logs--the first cut above the ground, which is usually sixteen feet
in length, will weigh from thirty to fifty tons. In order to move these
heavy logs, therefore, it was necessary for the woodsmen to get rid of
the bark, the undergrowth and the branches, which, in logging parlance,
is known as “slash.” He soon learned that redwood so strongly resists
fire that it was entirely safe to set fire to the logged-over field,
burning out this slash without any damage whatever to the logs, although
they were exposed to a fierce fire for a period of eight to twelve
hours. Redwood does burn, but very slowly, and those who are familiar
with California redwood know that it is the despair of the camper to
endeavor to build a fire with it. Redwood does not contain pitch, the
inflammable element in wood, and, in addition, it is extremely porous,
quickly absorbing water. These two traits, in addition to the chemical
composition of the wood itself, give it the fire retardance quality.
Redwood lumber, being light in weight and singularly free from many of
the defects so prevalent in other wood, is extremely easy to work. When
properly dried it does not shrink, warp or swell. It is capable of
producing magnificent tones for interior finish, and some of the most
charming homes on the Pacific coast have been made so by reason of the
wonderful possibilities of redwood in this respect. Remarkable
color-tone finishes are done by acid stains. Redwood is also a specialty
wood. It has been used for years by the organ manufacturers in the West
for organ pipes, giving eminent satisfaction. For incubators it is
particularly desirable, while for concrete form lumber, and particularly
in hot sections where the fierce heat of the sun is liable to warp other
woods, it gives wonderful service by “staying put.” Redwood is one of
the few woods that can be used over again for concrete work. For siding,
sheathing, sub-flooring, shingles, window casings and frames, redwood is
much used, because of its resistance to decay, both from contact with
moisture or dry rot.
Redwood’s hardihood, due to the natural acids in the wood, make it so
weather-resisting that it will last just as long unpainted as it does
painted. However, there is no wood that takes and holds paint better.
This is due to the absence of pitch and the porosity of the wood. It
also possesses a remarkable resistance to corrosive acids and for this
reason is the preferred material for tanks and vats in wineries,
breweries, chemical works, mines, tanneries, etc.
The great bulk of redwood lumber has for years been consumed in the
State of California, with about 50,000,000 feet annually going to
Australia and the Orient and about 50,000,000 feet shipped by rail to
the Middle West and East, the eastern shipments consisting practically
of house materials and finishing stock.
* * * * *
How did the Expression “Forlorn Hope” Originate?
In the expression “forlorn hope” we have made the Dutch word “hoop”
meaning a “company” into hope.
The “forlorn hoop” was a body of men, usually volunteers, selected from
different regiments, to lead an assault, enter a breach or perform some
other service attended with uncommon peril.
[Illustration: WALL STREET, KNOWN AROUND THE WORLD
_Photo by Brown Bros._]
Why is “Wall Street” Known Around the World?
This narrow canyon street in the lower part of the Borough of Manhattan
is the financial center of New York City. The various exchanges and the
largest banking institutions are situated here, and stocks and bonds are
dealt in to a vast extent. Its control over finance has spread until now
it affects the whole country and is a rival of the great financial
centers of Europe.
In the picture, Trinity Church is shown, lying at the head of Wall
Street, on Broadway, with its quaint old churchyard and its spire
insignificant amid the giant skyscrapers that surround it. Trinity
Church was founded in 1696 and rebuilt in 1839. It is probably the
wealthiest and most influential of the churches in the United States,
controlling many valuable real estate properties in New York City, and
having some of the richest and most prominent people in the country
among its members.
Starting approximately a quarter of a mile south of Wall Street,
Broadway, New York City’s main business thoroughfare, extends for
fifteen miles to the northern end of Manhattan Island. The activity and
variety of its traffic, the elegance of its shops, and the massiveness
and grandeur of many of its public and private buildings, makes it one
of the most interesting streets in the world.
What Makes a Stick Seem to Bend in Water?
When we hold a stick partly in the water, it looks as though the stick
bends just where it enters the water. That is due to the change of the
direction of the light after it enters the water. This change in the
direction of the light rays is called refraction. Glass, water and other
solids and fluids each have different powers of refraction.
The law of refraction comes into operation when a ray of light passes
through a smooth surface bounding two media not homogeneous, such as air
and water, or when rays traverse a medium the density of which is not
uniform, such as the atmosphere.
What Causes a Lump in a Person’s Throat?
When we eat anything, it passes into the throat after we have chewed it,
and instead of just dropping down into our stomachs, there is a nine or
ten inch series of rings in our throats, that takes the food, passing or
squeezing it from one set of muscle rings to the other. These muscle
rings are capable of working both up and down. If something is eaten
which causes vomiting, the muscles work the other way and force the
matter from the stomach.
When one is frightened a sort of a hollow feeling comes into the stomach
and the muscles of the throat work upward, pressing against the windpipe
and causing one to feel as if there was a lump there.
How are We Able to Hear Through Speaking-Tubes?
We know that when we speak, the sound waves that we set in motion are
carried in every direction. Now when we speak into a tube, the sound
waves cannot travel in all directions, but must follow the tube, and so
we can hear through a tube at a greater distance than we can when
speaking in the usual way.
The use of a megaphone or speaking trumpet for conveying the sound of
the voice to a distance is based on the same principle.
Why do We Always Shake Hands with Our Right Hand?
The custom of shaking hands with the right hand has come down to us from
the time when everyone carried a sword or knife. In those days when one
met a stranger it was customary, as an indication of friendly intention,
to hold out the right hand to show that it did not hold a sword or knife
ready for attack.